[Salt-Man Z]

Haven't been able to start in on a novel in a month or so, but I was adjusting some books on my shelf and out popped Robert Silverberg's Downward to the Earth. It's under 250 pages, and the new cover is gorgeous, and I absolutely loved his Lord of Darkness (the only other Silverberg novel I've read) so I decided to give it a go. So far so enjoyable.

[Maark Abbott]

Finally finished The Way of Kings. 3/10. To all those who told me to slog it out until the end, up yours.

Spoiler

Wit is not fucking Kruppe, why did you encourage me to read someone try to be Kruppe, IT DOESN'T BLOODY WORK.

Kate Elliott's Prince of Dogs next.

[Abyss]

 Maark, on 29 February 2016 - 07:58 PM, said:

Finally finished The Way of Kings. 3/10. To all those who told me to slog it out until the end, up yours....

Kate Elliott's Prince of Dogs next.

Wow, you are so not on a good roll there...

[QuickTidal]

 Abyss, on 29 February 2016 - 08:09 PM, said:

 Maark, on 29 February 2016 - 07:58 PM, said:

Finally finished The Way of Kings. 3/10. To all those who told me to slog it out until the end, up yours....

Kate Elliott's Prince of Dogs next.

Wow, you are so not on a good roll there...

I was gonna say...Sanderson to Elliot does not a pleasing transition make methinks.

On the other side, Maark. Sorry you didn't care for WoK in the end man.

Basically

Spoiler

If Kaladin's Hail Mary leap across the gap to suck in stormlight from the fetishes in the enemy beards, land and begin taking people out with spear-fu doesn't sell you, the series is probably not for you.

[Maark Abbott]

 QuickTidal, on 29 February 2016 - 08:30 PM, said:

 Abyss, on 29 February 2016 - 08:09 PM, said:

 Maark, on 29 February 2016 - 07:58 PM, said:

Finally finished The Way of Kings. 3/10. To all those who told me to slog it out until the end, up yours....

Kate Elliott's Prince of Dogs next.

Wow, you are so not on a good roll there...

I was gonna say...Sanderson to Elliot does not a pleasing transition make methinks.

On the other side, Maark. Sorry you didn't care for WoK in the end man.

Basically

Spoiler

If Kaladin's Hail Mary leap across the gap to suck in stormlight from the fetishes in the enemy beards, land and begin taking people out with spear-fu doesn't sell you, the series is probably not for you.

Thats5the really frustrating thing. That bit was FUCKING AWESOME. Any time the action gets going it was FUCKING AWESOME.

The problem was everything else. The epilogue was absolutely dire, there was no storyline as such beyond 'soon the terror will take us' (and 'the doggos are tired of your ceaseless petulance' does that better). It was mired down by the weight of what it wanted to pull off, and honestly? It felt like he just didn't care. I'm not even putting this abomination on my bookshelf. I feel sullied. I need a shower. Ugh. Goodnight. Maybe I'll be less irritated in the morning.

[Tiste Simeon]

About 25% into Dancers Lament. Seriously enjoying it, though every character that is introduced, I'm like "I bet that turns out to be [insert well known character from the main series]!"

[polishgenius]

About halfway through Dancer's Lament, it's excellent so far but

Spoiler

fuck me this is the least intense siege sequence I've ever read. I keep forgetting there even is one. I get that Li Heng is meant to be well-protected but come on.
The effect is exacerbated by the fact that I just finished Legend which of course is allabout how grim and shitty sieges are.

[Salt-Man Z]

 Briar King, on 29 February 2016 - 11:40 PM, said:

I've only read NoK. Is DL separate series from his others or just the next bk in it?

Spin-off prequel trilogy.

[worry]

Haven't read it yet but I'm guessing it has lots of ties to Return of the Crimson Guard due to time and setting.

[Abyss]

 Zoolanderis Derake, on 01 March 2016 - 12:31 AM, said:

Haven't read it yet but I'm guessing it has lots of ties to Return of the Crimson Guard due to time and setting.

Not wrong. It's pretty great so far.

[Maark Abbott]

It's also annoying me right now.

By virtue of being out of stock everywhere.

[Abyss]

 Maark, on 01 March 2016 - 04:41 AM, said:

It's also annoying me right now.

By virtue of being out of stock everywhere.

I'm pretty sure there's an ebook or two available for purchase. Come into the new millenia, leave the poor trees alone and join us!

[Maark Abbott]

 Abyss, on 01 March 2016 - 05:06 AM, said:

 Maark, on 01 March 2016 - 04:41 AM, said:

It's also annoying me right now.

By virtue of being out of stock everywhere.

I'm pretty sure there's an ebook or two available for purchase. Come into the new millenia, leave the poor trees alone and join us!

I've considered it, but the pull of the physical medium (and that I want to leave my inheritors a friggin' library when I die) prevents me.

[worry]

Couldn't hurt to have both, when it comes to Malazan.

[Maark Abbott]

 Zoolanderis Derake, on 01 March 2016 - 05:18 AM, said:

Couldn't hurt to have both, when it comes to Malazan.

I'll get me some fossils as well, and knock a giant bastard out.

[Morgoth]

 polishgenius, on 29 February 2016 - 10:43 PM, said:

About halfway through Dancer's Lament, it's excellent so far but

Spoiler

fuck me this is the least intense siege sequence I've ever read. I keep forgetting there even is one. I get that Li Heng is meant to be well-protected but come on.
The effect is exacerbated by the fact that I just finished Legend which of course is allabout how grim and shitty sieges are.

yeah

Spoiler

I didn't react much to the intensity of the siege, or the lack thereof. To me the army turned up out of nowhere. I was like, wait, there's an army outside? Still, that's my only major criticism of the book, and it's not really an important one.

[worry]

 QuickTidal, on 29 February 2016 - 08:30 PM, said:

 Abyss, on 29 February 2016 - 08:09 PM, said:

 Maark, on 29 February 2016 - 07:58 PM, said:

Finally finished The Way of Kings. 3/10. To all those who told me to slog it out until the end, up yours....

Kate Elliott's Prince of Dogs next.

Wow, you are so not on a good roll there...

I was gonna say...Sanderson to Elliot does not a pleasing transition make methinks.

I'm gonna go ahead and disagree with them. I haven't read that Sanderson, but assuming it's largely fluff (entertaining or not), Elliott is a nice return to serious storytelling. Prince of Dogs is darker than the first book, and it's where the story starts really digging into the fantasy stuff and not just rolling out fantasy-tinged fake medieval history. Series doesn't really take off till book 3, but PoD gives the world just enough of a kick in the pants to get interesting.

[Maark Abbott]

 Zoolanderis Derake, on 01 March 2016 - 08:26 AM, said:

 QuickTidal, on 29 February 2016 - 08:30 PM, said:

 Abyss, on 29 February 2016 - 08:09 PM, said:

 Maark, on 29 February 2016 - 07:58 PM, said:

Finally finished The Way of Kings. 3/10. To all those who told me to slog it out until the end, up yours....

Kate Elliott's Prince of Dogs next.

Wow, you are so not on a good roll there...

I was gonna say...Sanderson to Elliot does not a pleasing transition make methinks.

I'm gonna go ahead and disagree with them. I haven't read that Sanderson, but assuming it's largely fluff (entertaining or not), Elliott is a nice return to serious storytelling. Prince of Dogs is darker than the first book, and it's where the story starts really digging into the fantasy stuff and not just rolling out fantasy-tinged fake medieval history. Series doesn't really take off till book 3, but PoD gives the world just enough of a kick in the pants to get interesting.

I'm about 16 pages in where

Spoiler

the kids are about to go into the cathedral

and already it has a more gripping narrative than WOK could ever have hoped to across 1125.

And I really, REALLY want Frater Hugh to take a lance through his goddamn face. Ooooh. He's a full on Bidithal-level bastard.

Also, darker than the first book? Hot dog. Gimme some of that. I really enjoyed the tone of King's Dragon, even if it was a bit light on the story, but then there was enough potential in it that I knew I'd read further into the series. Whereas Words of Radiance... Eh. I couldn't care less if Kally and Dally reunite the Magic Knights Rayearth and unlock their Spirit Beasts and defeat the evil floaty castle thing, because I wasn't given a reason to care. Hell, this one isn't even living on the bookshelf. I'm getting het up again. Feyt me.

[Andorion]

In hindsight, Sanderson's rather family friendly style would probably not have agreed with Maark anyway.

15 chapters into Prince of Thorns, absolutely loving it, very very good book so far.

[Maark Abbott]

 Andorion, on 01 March 2016 - 11:32 AM, said:

In hindsight, Sanderson's rather family friendly style would probably not have agreed with Maark anyway.

15 chapters into Prince of Thorns, absolutely loving it, very very good book so far.

The thing is, I liked Warbreaker and Elantris and I absolutely LOVE the Mistborn trilogy. And Sanderson also holds my top book of all time spot (A Memory of Light). I just... I can't... Where did it go wrong?

Prince of Thorns, that was the one that interested me in making my own protagonist a villain (of sorts). I loved how ungentle it was. Not a punch was pulled.